Lingering Scent
by clearpurity2
Summary: It was a bit awkward, talking to a tombstone like this. But despite it all, it felt natural. (Just a little short drabble written of Hibiki visiting Kanade's grave.)
_Basically wrote this on my roleplay blog when a random idea of Hibiki visiting Kanade at her grave came into mind. So, yeah, just something random. Lol. Takes place at the end of GX._

* * *

These flowers were itching her cheek. Pulling them away from her face would be ideal but she didn't want the wind to blow away the petals. Internal dilemma. Hibiki moved as quick as her feet could carry her, being careful to avoid holes or any other ridiculous things that were on the sidewalks.

Today wasn't so busy, probably due to how early it was, but it worked in her favor. Why? So she wouldn't have to push up against people to get to her destination. Not as if she wasn't used to it but a little change could do someone good. As she made her way across the street and into the cemetery, she tried her best to remember where Tsubasa told her to look.

"Ah, um, where did she say again? Maybe over…this way?" Pointing in a random direction wouldn't solve anything. With an impatient sigh, more in direction of herself, Hibiki began to walk, looking on every tombstone just in case she missed it. How weird it was being in a cemetery; she had no other reason to visit one. But this felt like a special occasion. Immediately after she believed she went the wrong way, Hibiki backpedaled so hard she nearly tripped over her own feet.

She was right there.  
 _Amou Kanade._

She nearly missed the person she was looking for! Or technically, she already did. It was strange to see her name etched in concrete, with the words– _'Heavenly wings soaring to new heights, never to be forgotten.'_

Hibiki bent down to place the flowers right in front of the epitaph, taking the time to stare at her name a bit longer, before standing on her feet again. It's hard to fathom that Kanade has been gone for almost three years now. Or did the three year mark already pass? Didn't matter.

Even as she stood here, staring at the proof right at her, Hibiki couldn't believe it.

"Hey there, Kanade-san. Is it okay if I call you that? Aha, yes, dumb question probably." Why did she suddenly get an urge to speak? Hibiki interlaced her fingers together, looking down at the tombstone as she continued.

"Tsubasa-san asked me to stop by and give you those flowers! Of course, she would do that herself if she wasn't so busy. And I didn't mind coming to visit! I've actually never been here so I almost missed ya!"

From her memory of the concert, Hibiki had no clear idea what happened to Kanade or Tsubasa. When she looked back on it, Kanade looked as if she vanished, simply disintegrating into the air. She thought she heard Tsubasa screaming but that's when her memory became fuzzy. And after all these years.

"Ah, that's right! Tsubasa-san is doing great with her singing career. She even decided to branch out overseas with Maria-san! Oh, if you don't know about Maria-san, she's a famous singer from overseas as well. They've sung a few songs together but have their own individual careers too. They're both doing fantastic!"

Wouldn't it look pretty silly talking to someone's grave? Nothing was in the ground, as far as she knew, so it somewhat defeated the purpose. But the more she spoke, the more confidence she gained that Kanade could actually hear her. Again…silly isn't it?

"I'm not sure how much Tsubasa-san told you but everything's been going well with everyone in HQ. We've hit some rough patches recently but everyone is doing much better. We're practically a fleshed out team now! Working together, hanging out together, and helping each other! It's really fun. I even managed to get a real Relic of Gungnir!"

She pulled it up from within her shirt, watching it glint in the sun.  
"See? Maria-san allowed me to have it. It's nice to have one officially, you know?"

Hibiki stayed silent for a few seconds, gazing up towards the sky. A few clouds were scattered about.  
"I ended up losing the gift you gave me. Y'know, at the concert that day. I mean, not what you told me of course! After all, I'm still here!" The young girl extended her arms out with a grin.

"I mainly meant with Gungnir. I never knew what hit me in the chest until I accidentally activated it. Crazy, huh? Anyway, you probably know all of this already. What I'm saying is that I'm a lot healthier now. No threat of the relic killing me!" Hibiki laughed awkwardly, gazing back down at the tombstone.

"But even though it's gone, the impact you made on me will stay. My song has evolved since then, but yours is still in my heart. I bet that doesn't mean much from a stranger, since I had no time to learn what sort of person you were. But," she hesitated, trying to figure out the right words for what she wanted to get across, "…I won't give up. Tsubasa-san won't either. She keeps you close, everyone knows that, but she's not alone anymore. And I'm sure that's what you wanted."

Hibiki took a few steps back, pinching her arm out of awkwardness.  
"So, um, yeah! Now that I know where you are, I'll make plans to visit you more often! There's so many stories to tell you. And maybe Tsubasa-san and I can come together! Might have to bring some of the others too…" She mumbled, rubbing her bottom lip in thought.

"You'll like them, promise. But for now, I should head back. Don't want to miss Tsubasa-san's concert! Oh, and before I forget!" Very briefly, Hibiki dug into her schoolbag, pulling out a stuffed yellow chick, placing it beside the flowers.

"I couldn't find a red one but Tsubasa-san told me something about you and birds. Not sure if you liked them, or she said you reminded her of one, but either way, thought it would be cute! Think of it as me I guess, aha. I'll try to find one that resembles Tsubasa-san so she can sit with you."

She stood there in a few more seconds of silence before smiling and turning away.

 _'Thank you, Kanade.'_


End file.
